Heat-exchange device for fluids



Dec; 7 ,1926;

H. FELDMEIER HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE FORFLUIDS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1925 Dec. 7,1926.

' H. FELDMEIER HEAT. EXCHANGE DEVICE'FOR FLUIDS Filed Nov. l, 1923 3 Sh tS-Sheet 2- I v 2.3

H. FELDMEIER HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE FOR FLUIDS I Filed Nov. '1, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

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HARVEY FELDMEIER, OF LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To 1). H. BURRELL &, 00., INCL, OF LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK.

HEAT-EXCHANGE DEVICE FOR FLUIDS.

Application filed November 1, 1923. Serial No. 671098.

This invention relates to liquid coolers or heat exchange devices for changing the temperature of liquids, and more particularly to improvements in liquid coolers of the sur- 5 face type in which a liquid or medium flowing through aseries of superposed connected tubes is utilized for the purpose of cooling another liquid, for'instance milk, which is caused to flow over the outer surfaces of the tubes. The device forming the subject of my invention is primarily designed for cooling milk, and is especially suited for that purpose, but in so far as its construction is concerned, it could be used for coolingother liquids and also for heating liquids if desired, by employing a hot fluid or medium within the tubes. For the sake of brevity and clearness'of description, the device is hereinafter termed a cooler, but this term is used as one of description and not of limitation except where the latter intent is manifest from the context.

Surface coolers of this sort heretofore have ordinarily been made in sections containing a greater or less number of tubes, and in practice, each section, which frequently contains from say four to sixteen tubes, is a rigid unit, with the tubes and headers, or return bends for connecting the tubes alternately at their opposite ends all soldered or brazed or otherwise permanently secured together.- Such a construction is desirable from some standpoints, but it has the decided disadvantage that if anything happens to one tube, the whole section must be taken down or taken apart for repairs, or the section sent back to the factory, and there are frequent instances requiring repalrs due to corrosion, freezing or wear'and tear.

()ne object of this invention is to produce a practical and desirable cooler or heat exchange device for liquids in which the several tubes are detachably or separably connected together in such manner that any one or more of the tubes can be readily removed and the remaining tubes reassembled or one or more new tubes put in place of the removed tube or tubes, and so that a section or cooler can be readily built up having any desired number of tubes in order to produce coolers of different desired capacities. From the manufacturers standpoint, there is the great advantage in such a construct on that the individual tubes can be made up in quantity and assembled in units of any desired number of tubes to fill orders for coolers of different sizes. whereas With the previous construction before mentioned it is necessary for the manufacturer to carry in stock an assortment of different sections, which involves a larger investment and greater storage space, or else more time is required to fill orders. The dealer and joblier would also have the advantage with the improved construction that they could change the number of tubes in a cooler or make up coolers having different numbers of tubes from a limited stock of tubesthat could be carried in different lengths.

Other ob 'ects of the invention are to equip the tubes of the cooler with headers or end pieces which are brazed or otherwise permanently secured on the ends of the tubes and which are provided with complementary engaging or interfitting parts whereby the headers of the several tubes are adapted to lit together, be retained in alinement and be securely and firmly held together by means of simple tie bolts or devices at opposite ends of the cooler which clamp the headers of the several tubes together; also to provide the tubes with deflecting collars or curbs which prevent the liquid flowing over the outer surfaces of the tubes from contacting with the headers at the ends of the tubes, thereby enabling the cooler to be readily kept in a sanitary-condition; and also to improve coolers or heat exchange devices for liquids in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

' In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a liquid cooler or heat exchange device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the upper portion or section of the cooler shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation thereof through the headers at one end of the cooler on line 4.4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation thereof on line 55, Fig. 1', on an enlarged scale Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the tubes and its headers or end pieces detached.

The cooler is composed of a plurality of separate tubes 10, arranged side by side or superposed horizontally one above another. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cooler is tubes and an upper section comprising four 13 and 13*.

tubes, each section alone forming a complete cooler having inlet and outlet pipes for the cooling or other medium which flows through the tubes. If desired, the cooler could consist of one section only, or twc or more sections, and each section could have any desired number of tubes.

On the opposite ends of each tube are 1101- low headers, end pieces or castings which are secured one upon or against another and form the connections for establishing communication between the tubes.

The top and bottom tubes 10 to which the inlet and outlet pipes 11 for the cooling medium are connected are provided at one end with hollow end-pieces or headers 12 and at the opposite end with end-pieces or headers The remaining or intermediate tubes, that is those tubes between the top and bottom tubes, are provided at opposite ends with hollow end pieces 14 and 15. The

end pieces of the several tubes are formed with flat faces, or they are otherwise suitably shaped so that they will rest stably one upon or against .another and insure a reliable firm connection between the tubes when the end pieces are secured or clamped together. The

end pieces are also preferably provided with complementary engaging parts or inter-fitting recesses and projections to hold the end pieces in alinement and prevent the lateral shifting or displacement thereof. Preferably, the'projections do not fit tightly in the recesses, and therefore, allow slight, independent expansion and contraction of the tubes to prevent bending or throwing of the tubes out of alinement attheir middle portions. Since there are usually a considerable number of tubes, frequently more than twenty in a cooler, only a few thousandths of an inch clearance in each joint will provide for a substantial difference in length between the tubes at the top and bottom of the cooler.

The end pieces 14 and 15 at the opposite ends of the several intermediate tubes are alike except that the projections 16 on the tops of the end pieces 14 are provided with holes and the recesses 16 in the bottoms of the contacting end pieces 15 are provided with registering. holes so that when the tubes are assembled with the end piece 15 of one tube fitted upon the end piece 14 of the next tube, the tubes will communicate alternately at opposite ends so as to'form a continuous zig-zag passage for the flow of a fluid through the cooler. The end pieces 13 and 13 for the top and bottom tubes are similar respectively to the end pieces 15 and 14, except that they are preferably provided at their outer ends with extensions 17 for the engagement of brackets or supports for the cooler, and the end pieces 12 to which the of the intermediate tubes and the end pieces 13 and 13* of the top and bottom tubes are also provided at their outer ends with threaded openings closed by removable screw plugs 19. These plugs can be readily removed, if desired, for cleaning the tubes and end pieces. For a less expensive construction, however, these cleanout plugs can be omitted.

In order to form fluid-tight joints between those interfitting parts of adjacent headers which have the flow openings for the fluid, the end pieces 14 and 13 are provided around their annular projections with seats in which annular packing gaskets 20 are confined and against which gaskets the edges of the recesses for the adjacent end pieces bear. When the end pieces are clamped together, these gaskets form liquid tight joints between the end pieces. I

The several tubes of the cooler are securely held in place, one above the other, preferably by means of two tie bolts or headed rods 21 at each end of the cooler at opposite sides of the end pieces or headers. These tie bolts pass through holes in lateral lug on the headers 12, 13 and 13 of the top and bottom tubes and are provided with screw nuts so that when the nuts are tightened all of the headers for the several tubes will be clamped and held securely together.

In the cooler shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which,

as stated is composed of two sections, these sections are secured one upon the other and the tubes of both sections are secured together in the same manner by four tie bolts or rods which pass through the lugs on the headers for thetop and bottom tubes of both sections. Thus, even when the cooler is composed of more than one section, only four tie bolts are necessary for securing the tubes or units together, the same as in a cooler composed of only one section.

The end pieces or headers 12 and 13 for the bottom tube are, preferably provided in their bottoms with recesses 22 corresponding with the recesses on the other; end pieces, and the end pieces for the top tubes are provided at their tops with projections 23 corresponding with the projections on the end pieces for the other-tubes, so that when the cooler is made up of more than. one section, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the twosections will interfit or interlock with each other in the same manner that the end pieces of the individual tubes of each section interlock.

any other usual or suitable manner.

The cooler can be supported in the usual or any suitable manner, for instance, as shown in Figs; 1 and2, it is hung from supporting brackets 2+1 having seats in which. the end projections 17 of the top tube are seated. The brackets project from upright posts or supports 26.

The milk or liquid to be cooled can be distributed over the top tube of the cooler so as to flow downwardly'over the several tubes by the usual distributing pipe 27 provided with rows of holes 28 in its bottom, or in The distributing pipe .27 shown rests on the end pieces offhe top tube of the cooler and is retained in position by entering the seats 25 of the supporting brackets 24, and by means of retaining straps 29 which straddle the distributing pipe and are secured by set screws to the headers for the top tube.

30 indicates the usual catch trough or receptaclc located below the cooler to receive the milk or liquid flowing off of the cooler. This trough, as shown, is supported on brackets 81 projecting from the upright supports 26.

It is important, particularly when the cooler is empldyed for cooling milk, to prevent the milk fromcontacting with the end pieces or headers and the joints between the same, in order to insure that the cooler can be always readily kept in a thoroughly sanitary condition. For this purpose the tubes 10 of the cooler are preferably provided at their opposite end portions inwardly-beyond the headers, with curbs or deflecting rings or collars 32 which are soldered or otherwise secured on the tubes. The curbs on each tube convergedownwardly so that the lower edges tent to which the milk or liquid on the outer surfaces of the tubes can flow endwise of the'tubes and insure that the liquid flowing from each tube will fall upon the next lower tube between the curbs thereof. Therefore, the curbs efi'ectually prevent the milk or liquid from running into contact with the headers or end pieces.

I claim as my invention 1. In a heat exchange device for fluids, a plurality of superposed tubes over the outer surface of which liquid is adapted to flow, each of said tubes having thereon a curb which limits the flow of the liquid lengthwise von the tubes, the lower edge of the curb Y on one tube being located out of alinement with the upper edge of the curb of the next lower tube. I

2. In a heat exchange device for fluids, a plurality of superposed tubes over the outer surface of which liquid is adapted to flow, said tubes having thereon curbs which limit the flow of the liquid lengthwise on the tubes, the lower edges of the curbs on one tube being located between the upper edges of the curbs on the nextlower tube.

3. In a heat exchange device for fluids, a plurality ofsuperposed tubes over the outer surface of which liquid is adapted to flow,- said tubes having thereon curbswhich limit the flow of the liquid lengthwise on the tubes, said curbs on each tube converging downwardly, and the lower edges of the curbs on one tube being located between the upper edges of the curbs on the next lower tube.

4. In a heat exchange device for fluids, the combination of a plurality. of superposed tubes over the outer surfaces of which liquid is adapted to flow, end-pieces at the ends 0t" said tubes, means for detac ably securing said end-pieces insuperposed relation for removably securing the tubes in place and conuid from dripping from the curb on onetube onto the curb on the next lower tube and reaching the joint between the end pieces. Q

. 5. Ina heat exchange device for fluids, the. combination of a plurality of superposed tubes overthe outer surfaces of which liquid is adapted to flow, end-pieces at the ends of said tubes, means for detachably securing said end-pieces in superposed relation for removably securing the tubes in place, and a curb on each of the tubes located inwardly beyond the adjacent end piece for preventing the liquid from flowingalong the tubes into contact with said end-pieces, the lower edge of the curb of one tube being disposed inwardly beyondthe upper edge of the curb lof the next lower tube.- a

6. In a heat exchange device for fluids,

the tube for preventing the liquid from flowing along the tubes into contact with said end-pieces, the lower edges of the curbs of one tube being disposed between the upper edges of the curbs of the next lower tube.

7. In a heat exchange device for fluids. the combination of a plurality of tubes over .the outer surfaces of which liquid is adapted to flow, connections for separably securing said tubes in superposed relation and,

joining the tubes for. the flow of fluid through the tubes from one to another, and

tubes.

curbs on said tubes arranged to limit the lengthwise flow of liquid along the tubes.

said curbs being relatively arranged to prevent liquid from dri ping fromthe curb of one tube onto the curb of the next lower tube and reaching the joint between the 8. In a heat exchange device for fluids, the combination of a plurality of tubes over the outer surfaces of which liquid is adapted to flow, connections for separably securing said tubes in superposed relation and joining the tubes for the flow of fluid through the tubes from one to another, and curbs on said tubes arranged to limit the lengthwise flow of liquid along the tubes, the lower edge of the curb of one tube being disposed inwardly beyond the upper edge of the.

curb of the next lower tube to prevent liquid dripping from the curb of the former tube from reacliing the joint between the tubes.

9. In a heat exchange device forfluids, the combination of a plurality of superposed tubes over the outer surfaces of which liquid is adapted to fiow,.end-pieces at the ends of said tubes, means for detachably securing said end-pieces in superposed relation for removablv securing the tubes in place and the upper edges of the curbs of the next low? er tube.

HARVEY FELDMEIER. 

